Five of Cups Tarot Card Meaning
Upright Keywords
Reversed Keywords
The weight of what went wrong. The Five of Cups represents grief, disappointment, and the tendency to fixate on loss rather than noticing what still remains. The pain is real and the sadness is valid. But the narrow focus on what's been lost can obscure the good that's still present. Recovery begins when your attention starts to shift.
Five of Cups Imagery and Symbolism
In the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, a cloaked figure stands with head bowed, looking down at three spilled cups whilst two full cups remain standing behind them. A bridge leads to a distant town across a river. Pamela Colman Smith’s artwork captures grief in its most focused form, someone so absorbed in their loss that they’ve turned their back on what’s still available.
The three spilled cups dominate the figure’s attention, representing the losses, disappointments, or failures that feel overwhelming right now. The fact that three are spilled and two remain intact tells you that not everything is lost, even though it probably feels that way.
The bridge in the background offers a path forward, a way to cross the emotional river and reach something new. But the figure hasn’t noticed it yet. The overall image illustrates how grief and regret can create tunnel vision, narrowing your world to what’s gone wrong and hiding the routes to recovery that are right there waiting.
Gord’s Thoughts on Five of Cups
If the Four of Cups is emotionally checked out, the Five of Cups is proper wallowing. You've got three cups broken and two still standing, but you're giving all your attention to the broken ones. The grief is real, the disappointment is valid. But you're so deep in that negativity that you're missing the love and light still in your life. When reversed, the wallowing is actually pushing good people away. Your pain is becoming a wall.
Five of Cups Tarot Card Meaning Upright
Regret
This card represents regret, the painful experience of dwelling on what went wrong or what you wish you'd done differently. Regret has its place, it helps us learn, but this card suggests it's become consuming. The focus on past mistakes or losses is preventing you from moving forward.
Disappointment
This card represents disappointment at its core. Something didn't turn out the way you hoped, and the gap between expectation and reality feels painful. It acknowledges that disappointment is valid, but also asks whether you're allowing it to define your entire emotional landscape.
Pessimism
This card can suggest pessimism, a mindset where everything looks bleak because you're filtering all experience through the lens of what's gone wrong. The pessimism might feel justified, but it's usually obscuring the genuine good that still exists in your situation right now.
Five of Cups Upright in Love and Relationships Readings
In relationships, this card can represent mourning a lost connection or dwelling on what went wrong in a past relationship. It sometimes suggests being so focused on previous heartbreak that you can't see the love currently available. The grief is valid, but it might be blocking your view.
Five of Cups Upright in Self-Care and Empowerment Readings
For self-care, this card gently reminds you that grief needs space but not residence. Allow yourself to feel the disappointment, but also remind yourself that two cups are still standing. Looking after yourself means acknowledging the loss without letting it consume everything else.
Five of Cups Upright in Career and Creativity Readings
In career and creativity, this card can represent fixating on professional failures or missed opportunities. A project that didn't work, a job that fell through, recognition that never came. The disappointment is real, but there are still viable paths forward if you're willing to look.
Five of Cups Upright in Life Changes and Shadow Work Readings
In times of change, Five of Cups reminds you to acknowledge losses and process regret. Don’t ignore what hurts, but don’t let it paralyse you either. This card invites you to recognise what is still possible and to cross the bridge toward new experiences. Growth requires looking forward.
Five of Cups Tarot Card Meaning Reversed
Overcoming Regret
When reversed, this card often suggests overcoming regret and beginning to shift your attention from what was lost to what remains. The process of letting go of fixation on the past is underway. You're starting to turn around and notice those two cups still standing.
Finding New Hope
This card reversed can suggest finding new hope as the first sign of emotional recovery. The grief isn't gone, but it's no longer the only thing you can see. New possibilities are becoming visible, and your willingness to consider them is the beginning of healing.
Letting Go
This card reversed can suggest letting go, releasing the grip that grief and regret have had on you. This doesn't mean forgetting what happened or pretending it didn't hurt. It means choosing not to let the pain be the only story you tell about your life.
Five of Cups Reversed in Love and Relationships Readings
In relationships reversed, this card can suggest beginning to heal from emotional pain and opening up to love again. The heartbreak that once consumed you is loosening its grip. New connections or renewed appreciation for existing ones may be emerging as you move through the grief.
Five of Cups Reversed in Self-Care and Empowerment Readings
For self-care reversed, this card can suggest you're ready to move through the grief rather than sit in it. Empowerment here means actively choosing to focus on what you still have and what you can still build. Recovery isn't betrayal of what you lost. It's respect for what remains.
Five of Cups Reversed in Career and Creativity Readings
In career reversed, this card can suggest recovering from professional setbacks and finding renewed motivation. The failure or disappointment taught you something, and now you're ready to apply that lesson. The creative or professional energy is beginning to flow again.
Five of Cups Reversed in Life Changes and Shadow Work Readings
Reversed during change, Five of Cups indicates you’re beginning to release the past. You’re finding hope and courage to move forward. Shadow work focuses on forgiving yourself and others, allowing lightness to return. Embrace the lessons learned and step toward new opportunities with an open heart.
Five of Cups: Conflict and Change
Fives are where the discomfort sets in. The old structures from the Fours are being tested. There’s tension here. Things are shaken up — not always the kind of change you asked for.
These cards rarely feel easy, but they often mark necessary growing pains. When Fives appear, something’s not working anymore. What do you need to let go of? What are you clinging to out of fear?
Five of Cups: Emotional Depth and Relationships
Cups are linked to the element of Water. They speak to emotion, intuition, and connection. When Cups appear, look for honesty about needs and trust. They show emotional currents beneath surface events and point to where you need to honour what you actually feel.
The challenge with Cups is they can feel overwhelming. Water energy doesn’t stay contained. When emotions spill over, Cups often show up asking you to feel it anyway and trust your intuition. You can’t think your way through heartbreak. The inner world deserves attention and emotional truth guides you toward what’s real.
Five of Cups in the Minor Arcana
The Minor Arcana shows the moving parts of daily life. These 56 cards describe actions, choices, feelings, and results. While the Major Arcana speaks to life’s defining moments, the Minors fill in the daily choices that shape the bigger picture.
The Minor Arcana works through four suits — Pentacles, Cups, Wands, and Swords — each linked to an element and a different area of life. Combined with the numerology of each card’s number, this system means you can piece together the meaning of any Minor Arcana card once you understand how the parts fit together.
Five of Cups and the Element of Water
Five of Cups is connected to the element of Water. Water speaks to emotion, intuition, and connection. It’s fluid, responsive, and doesn’t stay contained. This element shows where feelings are moving through your experience — joy, grief, love, and longing with equal depth.
Water energy values emotional truth. It asks you to honour what you actually feel rather than what you think you should feel. When Water is present, trust your intuition and pay attention to the emotional currents beneath the surface.
Five of Cups Journalling Prompts
What past hurts or regrets am I holding onto, and how can I begin to release them?
Where can I find forgiveness for myself or others, and how might this bring me peace?
What lessons can I learn from my past disappointments, and how can I apply them moving forward?
Frequently Asked Questions about Five of Cups
What does Five of Cups mean in a tarot reading?
Five of Cups represents loss, regret, and disappointment. It often appears when you’re grieving a relationship, project, or belief. The card invites you to honour those emotions, but also to notice the remaining cups. Healing comes from acknowledging what’s still present and gradually turning toward new possibilities.
How can Five of Cups guide me in healing from emotional loss?
Five of Cups guides healing by encouraging you to feel your grief and accept it without judgement. It advises naming your feelings, mourning what’s gone, and then shifting focus to the cups still upright. Engaging with supportive people, gratitude practices, and forgiveness helps transform sorrow into resilience and hope.
Is Five of Cups a yes or no card?
Five of Cups leans toward no, reflecting sadness and disappointment. It warns that now may not be the best time for big commitments. You need space to process feelings and heal. Once you’ve honoured your grief and regained hope, the answer can shift toward a cautious yes.
What is the role of the Five of Cups in the tarot deck?
Five of Cups acts as a teacher of emotional resilience. Its role is to guide you through grief, regret, or disappointment. It shows that dwelling on losses keeps you stuck, and invites you to face feelings honestly. By doing so, you make space for healing and future joy.
What does the Five of Cups symbolise?
Five of Cups symbolises sorrow and the tendency to focus on losses. In Pamela Colman Smith’s illustration, the hunched figure and spilled cups depict grief. The upright cups and bridge symbolise remaining resources and pathways forward. The card urges you to recognise both pain and possibility.
What does Five of Cups suggest about navigating life’s challenges?
Five of Cups suggests that acknowledging your feelings is essential when facing challenges. Denying grief only prolongs it. Accept losses, and then look around to see what opportunities remain. By combining honesty about your pain with optimism about what’s left, you can move through difficulties gracefully.
Is Five of Cups a positive or negative card?
Five of Cups is generally negative because it highlights loss and regret. However, it contains a hopeful lesson: two cups still stand and a bridge remains. The card teaches that from the ashes of disappointment, new connections and insights can grow if you’re willing to turn around.
How does Five of Cups align with themes of love?
In love, Five of Cups highlights heartbreak, regret, or disappointment. It encourages you to process pain, but not to close off. The card aligns with healing by urging forgiveness and encouraging you to see the potential for new connections or renewed trust in existing ones once grief has subsided.
What are some other names for Five of Cups?
Depending on the deck, Five of Cups may appear as Five of Chalices, Five of Water, or Lord of Loss in Pleasure. These names emphasise the card’s focus on emotional turmoil and disappointment. Whatever it’s called, the essence remains: grief, regret, and the potential for renewal.
What other tarot cards often appear with Five of Cups?
Five of Cups may accompany Death to underscore transformation, The Star to offer hope, or The Moon to explore hidden emotions. Temperance can also appear, emphasising balance in healing. Together, these cards show that grief opens the door to renewal, hope, and deeper understanding.
